


Save a broom, ride a Quidditch player

by Evil_Keshi



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hufflepuff Alec Lightwood, M/M, Quidditch, Romance, Secret Relationship, Slytherin Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 08:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16783705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Keshi/pseuds/Evil_Keshi
Summary: Magnus and Alec had thought they would keep their relation secret until they left Hogwarts, at the end of their seventh year. They hadn't expected a Quidditch match gone wrong to change their plans.





	Save a broom, ride a Quidditch player

**Author's Note:**

> There it comes, the Harry Potter AU I've been moaning about nonstop on Twitter! Hope you enjoy it ;)

  


"So, heard the latest from the Gryffindors?" Izzy asked as soon as she dropped next to Alec under the tall tree by the Great Lake, upsetting his careful spread of notes.

"What did Jace do this time?" the older teenager shot back with an annoyed roll of his eyes, either at Izzy's abrupt landing or their sibling's antics.

His sister didn't even wonder how he already knew she was speaking of Jace: over the past four years, it had become quite usual for the blond Gryffindor to get in all sorts of troubles, more often than not involving Slytherin students. Whether he was responsible for these situations or they were, was never too clear and depended on whose version of the events you decided to listen to.

"He blew up Raphael's cauldron," Izzy explained, sighing as she recalled what had happened down in the dungeons. "He's an idiot."

"Nothing new," Alec commented, glancing at the notes he'd taken in his latest class of Defence against the Dark Arts about nonverbal spells, remembering that he needed to practice those before he went on the pitch for his Quidditch practice later that day. "What did he do to piss off Jace, this time?"

"I'm not even sure," Isabelle admitted, "but you know Raphael. He probably said something about Jace's brain being tinier than a pea. Might have set him off."

"They're both idiots, then."

"Idiots in detention," she added with a smirk, "Raphael turned Jace's ears in antlers."

Alec snorted this time, easily imagining his brother's resulting anger - probably mixed with some embarrassment. He wouldn't be surprised if the two boys had ditched their wands afterwards to get into a fight of fists and kicks until a professor separated them and took points from each of their houses... Not without saying something along the lines of _your brother never did anything like this!_ first, though.

It was true: in his six years at Hogwarts, Alec had never, _ever_ , done anything to make Hufflepuff lose points. Two years after his own Sorting Ceremony though, two terrors had invaded the castle, going by the names of Isabelle and Jace, and soon all the students had known that these two were no others than the shy, kind and nerdy Alec Lightwood's siblings.

One more evening of detention was nothing new on Jace's record, although on his part, Raphael wasn't used to it... Normally, the young Slytherin in Izzy's class managed to stay out of trouble. Not to say that he wasn't mischievous and never tricked anyone, on the contrary, but he usually didn't get caught. He wondered what Magnus would have to say about it, he who had taken Raphael under his wing...

"Why are you telling me this?" Alec eventually asked, giving up on his initial idea of studying.

It wasn't that he didn't care, he just... eh, didn't care? Jace was a responsible enough (or not) wizard, Alec didn't have to run after his troublesome ass to keep him in check, right? As long as he didn't get seriously hurt (carnivorous antlers could probably be a thing at Hogwarts, you never knew) and didn't hurt anyone in turn, he guessed harmless pranks were fine.

"So you can pretend tonight that you spent the day worrying about his ears," Izzy chuckled, "He should at least get some comfort from someone..."

"And he won't get any from you?" Alec guessed with a mild smile between genuine amusement and annoyance.

"Nope," Isabelle declared proudly. "Us nasty Slytherins gotta stick together against the chivalrous Gryffindors."

Alec rolled his eyes so hard Isabelle saw his brain.

"Why strengthen the clichés?" he asked, "Both houses have good and bad people, you know that better than anyone else."

"Says the boy belonging to the house most Slytherins keep calling dumb and useless," Izzy pointed out with a dejected frown. "Open your eyes, Alec: Hogwarts might be everyone's home, our houses will never be family."

"We _are_ family, though."

"Sure," she agreed, "but some people don't see it that way. Some of my friends don't even understand how you and I are related, not to mention how Jace can be our brother."

"Maybe you should choose your friends more carefully," Alec snapped, now that the topic hit a little too close to home and filled him with bitter sadness.

Ignoring her look of surprise, the teenager gathered his notes and put them in his bag with an angry move of his wand as he stood, realising a beat too late that he hadn't uttered a single word. Oh. So maybe he wasn't too bad at nonverbal spells, then? Simple ones at least, for he wasn't certain he would manage an _Expelliarmus_ without yelling.

As he walked away from Izzy, heading for the Quidditch pitch, regret gnawed at Alec's chest and he bit his lip in frustration. He shouldn't have told his sister off but... Houses rivalry had never been a good matter to discuss with him but he'd been even crankier about it for approximately... Well, not need for imprecision: he knew all too well for how long he'd started to snap at people for being asses to this or that House.

Two years, three months and six days, at the exact time he locked eyes with Magnus Bane's Slytherin self and fell in love, with an increase in his ability to snarl at assholes from the moment they actually started dating, one year, six months and three days ago. Not that he was counting.

Of course, Alec would be the first to admit that Slytherins were indeed clever, Ravenclaws smart, Gryffindors confident and Hufflepuffs loyal. When had those qualities turned into flaws, though? Cunningness, stuck-up snobbism, reckless stupidity and meekness... These days, being a Slytherin automatically made you a deceptive person. Gryffindors were idiots, Ravenclaws were better than everyone else and Hufflepuffs... Well. How many times had one told Alec he was a goody two-shoes unable to make his own decisions? Even his family, who came from a long line of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, had been a bit dejected at the choice the Sorting Hat had made for Alec.

He was sort of glad Magnus and he had decided to keep their relationship secret, no matter the hardships it had resulted in: where to see each other, when, how to justify their absences from their friends' sides, how to actually keep it a secret... It worked out though, they were very much in love, thank you, and at least no one gave them shit about _betraying their house_ and _fraternising with the enemy, that's what you're doing!_

Secrecy had its downsides, though. Never kissing each other in public. Never even holding hands out in the open. Never waiting for one another at the end of their classes... Never joining another House's table in the Great Hall to eat dinner with their boyfriend. Their relation only existed in the darkest hours of the night, at the top of the Astronomy Tower, where they took out their wands and created a cosy cocoon of warmth and love, far from all judgmental stares.

Only one person knew about them... Or probably did, since he had never actually spoken about it with either of them. Still, Dumbledore didn't miss anything going on at Hogwarts, did he? Alec could have sworn the Headmaster winked at him one evening as he was meeting with Magnus, when he came across Dumbledore in a hallway well past curfew and froze in fear, only to gape in disbelief as the old man went on his way without issuing as much as a warning.

Chuckling to himself and feeling better at the memory, Alec quickened his pace not to be late to practice and he joined the team in the changing rooms, ditching his bag in a corner to don his bright yellow robes, giving an affectionate pat to the badger on his chest that he wore proudly.

Alec wasn't late, although his teammates were all there already, gathered around their Captain and Chaser, Underhill. He was getting excited over new techniques and feints, gesturing wildly with his arms, until Clary reminded him that her skills at snatching the Gold Snitch would never get any better if they stayed on the ground... So out on the pitch they went, ready to mount their brooms, except that Underhill's eyes zeroed in on someone sitting in the stands and watching the team closely.

Alec's heart missed a beat before it started hammering against his ribs.

"What is Magnus Bane doing here?" Underhill asked on a surprised tone that, although void of any hostility, sounded a bit wary.

Alec could have answered that question, heart eyes and grin and all, but he didn't. Although Magnus had an open book on his knees, Alec knew that he wasn't there to read but rather to watch his boyfriend practice so he could tell him later that evening how good - hopefully - he had been and if he was lucky, maybe he would even get a massage for his sore shoulders: catching a Quaffle thrown at full speed toward the goal posts took its toll and more often than not, Alec's shoulders and upper back hurt after practice, not to mention after an actual match.

The teenager fought the dreamy smile that threatened to appear on his face at the prospect of Magnus' fingertips on his skin and he focused on the _here and now_ again, just in time to see Underhill advance toward his boyfriend. Oh crap.

"What are you doing here?" the Captain asked in lieu of greetings, his suspicions growing as Magnus answered with a charming smile.

"What now?" he shot back with amusement, his voice like music to Alec's ears - wasn't he completely, utterly smitten? "Students can't escape the stuffiness of the library to read?"

"We know you're not here to read," Underhill answered as patiently as he could, although it was clear he thought Magnus was taking him for an idiot, "You're here to watch us practice."

He wasn't technically wrong, although he was missing a detail of importance: Magnus was only interested in one player of the Hufflepuff team, not all seven of them. The Slytherin boy snorted and snapped his book close before he put it on the bench next to him and pulled his cape a bit tighter around him.

Alec had always been baffled at the way Magnus could look so good while wearing the same black robes as everyone else did at Hogwarts. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, with easy elegance, walking through crowds that seemingly opened for him, or maybe it was just the way Alec looked at him.

"Are you insinuating that I've come to spy on you?" Magnus asked with a bark of laughter that sounded as amused as it did dangerous.

Alec closed his eyes for a second, readying himself to interfere and draw everyone's attention back to Quidditch. Sticking to evil Slytherins clichés in Magnus' presence almost always guaranteed you a one-way ticket to Madam Pomfrey's, even though Alec had told his boyfriend more than once that cursing his classmates only worsened the whole conundrum.

"Hufflepuff isn't even playing against Slytherin this weekend," Magnus added softly, in what Alec recognised as an attempt to smooth things down.

Of course Magnus had noticed Alec's unease. As always, he was able to read his mind as well as if he'd seen inside his head, although Magnus had once sworn that he wasn't a _Legilimens_. They knew each other so well though, they were so used to observe each other and communicate silently across the Great Hall or a classroom, through blinks and curls of lips, that Magnus didn't need to hear Alec's thoughts to understand them.

"Right," Underhill answered, "but if we win against Ravenclaw this weekend and you lose against Gryffindor next week, our Houses will be playing against each other in a month anyway."

Magnus' eyes narrowed.

"Slytherin won't lose to Gryffindor," he said.

"And we won't win over Ravenclaw if we don't practice now," Alec reminded everyone, shouldering the responsibility of being the voice of reason for all students involved. "So, Captain, are we playing or what?"

"Yes," Underhill said at once, "You're right, Alec. Sorry."

Just like that, the tension defused and the players turned away from Magnus to climb on their broomsticks and rise in the air, although Alec didn't do so before flashing an apologetic smile to his boyfriend, who answered with a subtle wink and a shake of his head. No hard feelings, of course... They didn't let bickering about Houses get to them, although more often than not, it required all their self-control not to react... And they weren't even defending their own House. How many times had Alec told his friends that Slytherins weren't as bad as everyone made them? How often did Magnus have to repeat that Hufflepuffs weren't stupid or weak?

Sometimes, they wondered if displaying their relationship would change the way one House regarded another. Would it help them create a more accepting bond, like a ribbon of magic tying them all? Or was he just a naive, idealistic boy? Would it just drive a wedge between them? Magnus and he felt bold enough to want to find out some days but then, they remembered that they were halfway through their sixth year and only had one more year and a half to go, so... They agreed on waiting. After they were done with school, who would criticise them for following their heart rather than their House?

Alec eventually had to get his head in the game, both to avoid taking a Bludger in his face and also to show off a little in front of Magnus - sue him - as he hovered near the goal posts, keeping an attentive eye on the Quaffle while it was passed around. He wasn't going to act like that during the match itself, he would probably be too stressed out and focused at the same time to do that, so if he wanted to have a little fun during practice... Well, Magnus certainly wouldn't blame him.

  


  


Magnus completely blamed him.

"That was so unfair!" he whisper-shouted as they met at the light of his wand underneath the stands, once Alec had changed and looked sort of presentable again, although the wind and the protective headgear had messed up his hair more than usual. "I thought you were going to fall and my heart nearly _stopped_ , Alexander! But then you had to... to..."

His words turned into an incomprehensible garble as he gestured helplessly with his hands towards his boyfriend and he glared at him when Alec grinned. He knew perfectly well how he had looked, blocking the Quaffle before it went through, hanging onto his broomstick with only one hand to kick the ball away and then, flexing his arms to get back on his broom.

"Enjoyed the show?" Alec asked, opening his arms to welcome Magnus in his embrace.

"No," his boyfriend mumbled even as he rested his forehead on Alec's shoulder, burying his face in his chest and circling the player's waist with his arms. "Not at all."

"Liar," Alec teased him.

"I know."

Alec smiled at the quiet laughter that shook Magnus' body, reverberating against his own ribcage, and he took a step back to admire his boyfriend, cupping his face in careful hands, thumbs brushing against his cheeks. Once, Magnus had pointed out that he often did this and Alec had realised the truth of that statement, although he had never done it consciously before. Every time they reunited though, he would stare at Magnus as if he was scared to have forgotten the details of his face in the hours they had spent apart from each other, and his fingers would retrace every inch of him to make sure that he was real.

Practice had lasted for quite some time and the sun had already set beyond the Forbidden Forest, draping a blanket of darkness over the Quidditch pitch. Magnus' wand illuminated both of their faces dimly and Alec felt his heart give a throbbing squeeze at the tiny sparks, like stars, reflected in Magnus' eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed out, mesmerised.

Magnus blinked at the compliment, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile, and he leaned in Alec's hand with contentment, almost like a cat as he relished the sensation of his warm fingertips against his skin, until he turned his head and pressed a light kiss over his boyfriend's wrist.

"I love you," he whispered against Alec's pulse.

He slowly raised two eyes shining with happiness to his boyfriend, who couldn't resist any longer: Alec ducked only enough to brush his lips against Magnus, pushing lightly with one finger to lift his chin up and angle their heads just _right_ , craning their necks and closing their eyes as they melted into each other's embrace.

This, Alec thought as Magnus smiled against his mouth, this would forever be his happiest memory of his time at Hogwarts. Not the feeling of being welcomed with open arms at the Hufflepuff table in his first year, not the pride of acing his O.W.L.s or his joy at winning the House Cup two years ago. All of that paled when compared to the unabashed and absolute happiness of living this love with Magnus, of holding this amazing boy in his arms and knowing and trusting, without the tiniest shadow of a doubt, that their hearts belonged to one another.

  


  


"Alec, watch out!" Clary yelled at him as she flew straight under his nose, forcing him to back away abruptly to avoid a ill-timed collision.

He hadn't seen her coming. Nor had he seen the Quaffle coming toward the goal posts a few minutes prior, not until it was almost too late - and he thanked his quick reflexes for that save that would have been impossible to manage, had he wasted two seconds. To be honest, none of the players could see much of the game, as they had to blink away the traitorous rain that kept getting in their eyes, and Clary's long, soaked hair didn't give her much of a chance to spot and catch the Golden Snitch before Simon, the Ravenclaw Seeker. Not that he'd had any luck either so far...

It was so unfair that the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse! The previous day had been so beautiful and pleasantly warm that Magnus had discreetly taken him a bit further into the Forbidden Forest after their shared Care of Magical Creatures class, so they could make out in the grass.

Alec forced himself out of his thoughts to refocus on the game. Hufflepuff was only leading by ten points so he couldn't relax and wait for the end of the game, no matter how much he wished they could all go back inside the castle and get warm. No, the Quaffle was still being passed from blue robes to blue robes while his yellow teammates used their elbows almost excessively, toeing the line of penalty, and tried to block but never quite managing it... Clary was looking helplessly for a swift speck of gold to put her friends out of their misery but it was useless so far: it looked as if the Golden Snitch had been sucked inside a cloud.

The Keeper cheered when Underhill eventually succeeded in intercepting the Quaffle, only to whimper when his Captain dropped it as one of the Ravenclaw Chasers roughly slammed into his side to steer him off course... and retrieved the ball. Shit.

Victor Aldertree immediately veered off his initial route and came back to Alec's goal posts. He could see, in the Chaser's eyes, that he was certain of his capacity to overcome Alec's defence and then score, so he narrowed his eyes and leaned over his broomstick, ready to dive or take a sharp turn to block the Quaffle, except that sudden movement on his left caught his attention.

A second Chaser flew into the scoring area, which went against the rules, and Alec heard the referee's whistle right as yet another player came into sight. He barely had the time to realise that the newcomer was a Beater: one second Alec was fuming at all the rules the Ravenclaws were breaking and the next, a Bludger was flying toward him, way too fast.

_SCHBAAAAF!!_

Alec let out a wheezing breath as the ball hit him in the stomach, so hard that he toppled backwards, his broom went upside down and... He slipped. Through the pain and the sudden panic as he felt himself fall, he desperately tried to hold onto the handle of his broom, scrambling for something to grab, anything at all, but the rain had turned his leather gloves in a slippery mess and he missed.

Screams reached his ears then, battling with the howling wind, and he didn't know whether those were his own or the students', gathered around the pitch. No, they weren't his: he couldn't scream, his breath lost some twenty meters higher, and fear overwhelmed him as he anticipated the crash, the hard landing on the muddy grass, the pain that would erupt throughout his body.

In the few seconds that separated Alec from a hard collision with the ground, he saw Underhill dive to catch him, felt his hand grab the back of his robes, and for a short, blissful moment he thought he was saved. He wasn't: the weight of his freefalling body was too much, even for a well-built guy like his Captain, and then he met the ground.

  


  


Alec might have blacked out for a little while. When he came back to, eyes heavy and feeling dizzy, like he was going to be sick, he took in several things at the same time. First, everything hurt. He vaguely recalled Underhill trying to catch him and effectively slowing his fall down but... The Bludger and the harsh collision with the ground hadn't left him intact. Merlin's beard, he didn't even dare to move, for fear of realising that something was broken, displaced, severed, in one word: bad. Then, there was the lack of noise, only a constant ringing filling his head and hurting him. Breathing was hard. Shit, _staying awake_ was even harder.

Blinking and glancing around without moving his head, he saw a few familiar faces hovering over his body with worry etched deep in their features: Clary, Underhill, his sister, who'd somehow made her way to him from the Slytherin stands... Alec tried to find his voice to say something, even though he wasn't sure of what he could start with: whimpering? Telling them he was fine? Asking _if_ he was fine? He wasn't dead yet, so... That was a good sign, right?

Sound came back to him all of a sudden as his head cleared and soon, he was flooded with concerned shouts, everyone trying to make him talk, make him voice any need, any way they could help him.

"How many fingers, Alec?" Clary was asking him as she waved her hand in front of his eyes, which only resulted in making him feel dizzier.

"Where does it hurt?" Underhill added, a _shit-my-player-is-dying_ expression plastered over his face, before he turned his head and yelled, "Someone fetch Madam Pomfrey!"

Suddenly, there was some movement in the crowd that had gathered around Alec, who expected to see either the nurse already or maybe Madam Hooch, or perhaps even one of the other teachers, although the voice that rose above the confusion belonged to someone else entirely.

"Let me through, you bunch of idiots!"

One second later, a dishevelled Slytherin was falling to his knees next to Alec, gently but firmly grasping his hand, tear tracks like diamonds on his cheeks. Behind him, Isabelle looked dumbfounded.

"Magnus..." Alec whispered, awed, for even if his boyfriend was crying, he looked beautiful.

"Get off him!" a young girl that Alec vaguely recognised as a Hufflepuff first year screamed at Magnus, "He doesn't need no Slytherin to help him! What do you want, finish him off?!"

Izzy opened her mouth to snap at her but Magnus was faster: he got on his feet in a second and, fumes of rage practically seeping out of his clothes, he seethed:

"Shut up! Who do you think you are, you..."

What would inevitably have ended in imaginative name-calling turned into a furious gargle as Magnus' eyes zeroed in on the Ravenclaw Beater responsible for Alec's miserable state, who'd just landed next to them.

Madam Hooch was probably somewhere close and ready to yell at every single player who had broken the sacred rules of Quidditch, Alec thought through his headache and the pain in his ribs, but she would do well to arrive as quickly as possible and hold his boyfriend back, because he could already tell...

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Magnus screamed at the top of his lungs, beyond himself.

Too late.

"You could have killed him, you asshole!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" the Beater defended himself, "I just..."

"You don't attack Keepers when there are Chasers in the scoring area!" Magnus shot back, not caring enough to listen to the other's explanations. "There shouldn't even have been two Chasers in there! You cheated and endangered Alexander for..."

"Magnus..." Alec croaked out softly.

As much as he loved the fact that Magnus was defending him, right now Alec just wanted his boyfriend to hold his hand. He needed that comfort through the pain pulsating in his body and judging by Magnus' distress expressing itself through anger, the Slytherin boy needed the reassurance that Alec was alright as well - as much as possible.

In spite of his fury, Magnus heard Alec's weak voice as soon as he uttered his name and the effect was immediate: the young man collapsed right next to him again, pushing everyone aside to hold his boyfriend's hand once more.

"I'm sorry, Alexander," he whispered, pressing his lips to his knuckles. "How are you feeling? Can you move? Do you think anything's broken? Madam Pomfrey has probably already prepared a bed for you, I saw Dumbledore send her a Patronus so we'll bring you to the infirmary and she'll take good care of you. Can you walk, darling? No, of course not, you can't, you're hurt, oh Merlin's beard, I'm so stupid and I'm so sorry, I..."

"Breathe, Mister Bane," Madam Hooch said as she suddenly appeared. "I'll bring Mister Lightwood to the castle. _Mobilicorpus!_ "

"Wait, wait!" Magnus exclaimed even as Alec felt his body rise in the air of its own in the strangest of sensations. "I'm coming with you!"

"Of course you are, I'm not sure it would be wise or even possible to keep you apart at this point," she answered with a meaningful look at Alec's hand that Magnus was still holding. "Move, you all!"

She gestured with her wand at the crowd around them and the students stepped back, all of them staring at the Hufflepuff player and his Slytherin _friend_ with slack mouths. Alec couldn't even care. He strengthened his grip on Magnus' fingers, who answered with a nervous squeeze.

Without surprise, Isabelle and the team followed as well, soon joined by Jace who'd apparently had a hard time making his way to them.

"Alec, are you okay?" the blond asked in worry.

"What do you think?" Magnus snapped, "Does he look okay to you?"

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Jace wondered, turning to Izzy. "Is he with you?"

"I'm right here," the Slytherin boy growled, "I can give you a reminder, if you want..."

"Magnus," Alec chided him weakly, "Behave."

He didn't miss the glare his boyfriend sent Jace's way nor Madam Hooch's amused side glance; suddenly, he wondered if she knew about Magnus and him... How many times had they made out in the late afternoon, under the deserted stands of the Quidditch pitch, thinking that the darkness would cover them?

Alec didn't have the opportunity to think about it any longer, nor to blush at the thought of having been caught by the severe Quidditch referee.

"You don't get to say anything," Magnus told him, "You could have died."

"That was hardly my fault," he answered with a snort.

He immediately regretted it when his ribs were assaulted with renewed pain. He couldn't hide it, not when Magnus was watching him like a hawk, and he saw his boyfriend's face crunch up with concern once more before it gave way to sudden horror.

"You could have died," he repeated as if he'd just realised the true implications of such words. "Alexander, you..."

"Hey," Alec interrupted him, "Look at me, love. I'm fine... or I will be."

Magnus nodded feverishly and his fingers shook around Alec's hand.

"I don't think I could live without you," he whispered as he stared at his boyfriend like he'd had an epiphany. "It would probably kill me."

"Good thing we don't have to find out," Alec mumbled as they reached the castle.

Only then did he notice that his siblings and the team weren't following them as close as they'd been and when he craned his neck - bad idea - he noticed that they were a bit behind and with their heads together, as if they were discussing a hot topic... It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were talking about.

"When did they become friends?" he thought he heard Jace say, his tone sounding both disbelieving and expectant, as if someone was supposed to reveal to him that it was a big joke.

"I don't think they're friends, Jace..." Clary subtly pointed out.

He was glad to miss the next exchanges as Madam Hooch propelled him through the gate: he didn't really want to hear what they had to say about his relationship with Magnus, not when he couldn't reply to them and explain how they'd fallen in love. Speaking of which...

"So..." Alec started after Madam Hooch laid his body on the bed Madam Pomfrey had indeed prepared for him, focusing on his voice that was finally growing louder rather than the pain still going strong throughout his limbs. "We kind of spilled the beans? About us, I mean..."

"I'm sorry," Magnus immediately said, contrite. "When I saw you falling, I didn't think. I just had to make sure you were okay."

"It wasn't a reproach," Alec told him softly. "I just..."

"Quidditch accident!" Madam Pomfrey cried out when she entered the room, cutting him short, "Again! One day, this sport is going to get one of you killed! I told Albus countless times that he should forbid the game on school grounds but no! Let's keep jeopardising our students' lives!"

Magnus looked with wide eyes as the nurse approached and kept grumbling under her breath about foolish headmasters and incredibly stupid, dangerous, injuries-inducing sports. She used her wand over Alec's body, shaking her head as she assessed the damage, until she clicked her tongue.

"Broken ribs," she announced, which Alec had guessed already, "And six crushed vertebrae. You're lucky I can fix bones in the blink of an eye!"

Alec didn't dare to thank her for fear of upsetting her even more, so he just nodded... only to get a painful reminder that he shouldn't do that.

"Drink this," Madam Pomfrey enjoined him as she handed him a vial of purple potion, that he observed with narrowed eyes. "This is a Dreamless Sleep potion, not poison! Drink now, it will help with your headache. I'll mend your bones while you're under. And you..."

Magnus' eyes widened as Madam Pomfrey turned to him and Alec could have sworn that he looked a bit frightened.

"Me?" he squeaked.

"Out," she decided. "This boy needs rest."

"Can I not stay with him?" Magnus pleaded with pitifully sad eyes, "I could keep him company and watch over him, I won't bother him, I swear, I..."

"Out!" Madam Pomfrey repeated, on a tone that clearly meant she wouldn't accept any further negotiation.

Magnus gave a sorrowful nod and slowly stood up while Alec, resigned, drank the potion.

"We'll talk later," the Hufflepuff boy promised, his voice slurring already, his eyelids growing heavier by the second, "I love..."

  


  


Alec kept his eyes closed for a few more minutes when he woke up. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep but... He felt good. More than that, even, for his mind and his body felt fresh and relaxed, well rested, as if he'd never fallen from the sky or hadn't even missed a step in a staircase in his whole life - Dumbledore only knew how many trapped steps there were at Hogwarts.

There were people talking in hushed whispers by his side, careful not to disturb him since they didn't know that he was awake already, and Alec should probably say something or move, but he could hear Izzy's voice as well as Magnus', and he was a tiny bit curious to know what they were talking about.

"How long have you been together?" she was asking.

She sounded interested, kind, not in the least mad that her brother and a fellow Slytherin had been dating in secret, and she wasn't judgemental either. Alec loved his sister.

"More than a year and half," Magnus admitted.

"How did you even get together?!"

Jace, this time. Baffled, upset, surprised, disappointed, shocked? Alec couldn't tell, not without seeing his face.

"Jace..." Clary scoffed.

"What? I just want to know what your intentions are toward my brother so we can decide if we should keep you."

"Alec is the only one who should decide of that. Don't you trust him? Don't you think he's mature enough to make his own decisions?"

Alright, Alec loved Underhill too.

"I like you," Magnus chuckled, probably addressing the Hufflepuff Chaser as well, before his voice dropped. "If you all don't mind though, I'd like to discuss this with Alec first. We... _I_ kind of revealed our relation to the whole school and... I have no idea how he's going to take it."

Alec opened his eyes at once as he suddenly remembered what they had been talking about before Madam Pomfrey interrupted them and examined him and his broken body. Magnus had apologised for being scared for him, for acting like the worried boyfriend he was and... Alec wasn't going to let him blame himself for any of that.

"I love you," was the first thing he said once his bleary eyes settled on Magnus, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed. "I love you and I'm not mad at you."

"Alexander!" the other boy cried out, scrambling to his feet to plop down on the mattress next to Alec and hold his hand, while Izzy whispered in awe _he calls him Alexander!_ "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Alec said, eager to reassure his boyfriend and get down to serious matters, "I'm fine, really. Are you?"

"Better now that you're awake," Magnus answered, resting his forehead against Alec's and taking a deep, grounding breath.

It probably sounded cheesy to their audience but Alec knew how much Magnus meant it. There was no place for lies or flattery in their relationship, every spoken word was genuine and deeply felt, for they already had so little time together usually, they didn't want to waste whatever minute they had in vain compliments. Alec gently wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and held him in silence for a few seconds, enjoying their reunion.

"I guess we _are_ keeping him," Jace mumbled.

"Shut up," Underhill shot back, a smile almost audible in his voice.

"A bit of privacy wouldn't hurt," Alec told them all with a pointed look beyond Magnus' shoulder.

Incredibly enough, it worked: his friends all stood up and left the infirmary, not without sparing them a few more glances, both stunned and encouraging at the same time.

"So now, they know..." Alec whispered, leaning back to stare at Magnus.

"The whole school knows by now," his boyfriend added.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked, covering Magnus' hand with his own, "Because you didn't say anything..."

It worried him a little. Magnus had apologised for ending the secrecy of their relation and he'd seemed concerned about what Alec would have to say on that but... What about him? Was he alright with the whole school knowing? Alec found himself relatively comfortable with the idea now that he'd seen his friends' reactions but he didn't want Magnus to ignore his own insecurities and force himself to accept this unexpected development just for his sake.

"I met with Raphael while you were asleep," Magnus said, seemingly out of the blue, his eyes cast down to the blanket covering Alec's legs. "He had questions, of course, and... I told him. Do you know what he said?"

Alec shook his head, a lump growing in his throat as he waited for the answer, dreading it. If Magnus' friend hadn't reacted as well as his own...

"He said that he was a bit surprised but mostly amazed that we'd managed to keep it a secret for so long," he explained with a tiny smile, "He was happy for me but he didn't care about the big news that much, so I thought... In the end, other people's opinions don't really matter. Our friends' do a little, because we would be pretty miserable if they didn't accept us, but we are more important. I'm not ashamed of myself or you, so... I'm in. Even if I'm a little afraid, still."

"What scares you?" Alec immediately asked.

"Well... I don't want others to think badly of you. I don't want them to think that you're an idiot for falling for a Slytherin, that I've manipulated you..."

"And I don't want them to think you're the stereotypical cruel Slytherin taking advantage of the weak Hufflepuff," Alec added, perfectly understanding where Magnus was going with that. "I think there's only one way to show them that we're not clichés."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, a smile of curiosity dancing on his lips as he realised that Alec had all the answers to his questions already.

"What way?" he wondered aloud.

"We'll show them we're the sweetest couple to ever exist at Hogwarts," Alec said proudly, making Magnus' heart melt a little more. "We'll show them that it doesn't matter which House you're in, you deserve love and you _can_ have it. We'll show them how much we love each other."

"Let me show you right now," Magnus whispered, surging forward to press his lips against Alec's, immediately cupping his face to deepen their kiss.

Madam Pomfrey kicked them out of the infirmary.

  


  


"Are we really doing this?" Alec asked, his hand holding more tightly onto Magnus'.

"W... We can abort the mission," the Slytherin said softly, aiming for a relaxed tone even though his voice was far from steady, "but then I'm not sure we'll try this ever again."

"You're right," Alec decided, "Let's go!"

Hand in hand, they entered the Great Hall for dinner, way after the standard hour, just to make sure that everyone would notice the two late students. Their plan didn't fail: a whisper ran through the crowd at their arrival, that Alec could have sworn reached even the staff table, and his cheeks took on a red colour while he led Magnus to the Hufflepuff table, their joined hands telltale enough of their common destination. Cheering suddenly rose from the Gryffindor table and Alec had to keep a fond but annoyed sigh to himself when he saw Jace, standing up on the bench to applaud them with a wide smile on his lips.

A giggle coming from Magnus made Alec turn his head and he caught sight of the Slytherin table, where Izzy and Raphael were applauding too, although with more subtlety than Jace. Neither of the boys could believe their eyes nor their ears when more and more people stood to applaud them and Magnus let Alexander take him to the Hufflepuff table in a daze. Was this really happening? He wasn't dreaming?

No, he wasn't. Alec's hand felt solid and warm in his own and only a few students were watching them with indifference at best, judgement at worst: if this had been a dream, everybody would have been happy for them. He chose to ignore these people: only Alexander and he mattered.

When they arrived at the Hufflepuff table, Magnus recognised the first year girl who'd yelled at him on the Quidditch pitch and she slid to the left on the bench with an apologetic smile, making some more room for the both of them.

"We did it," Alec whispered as they sat down, amazed at their own progress.

"Only the first half of the plan though," Magnus reminded him with a cheeky smile.

Alec didn't need to be told twice. With a smile so bright that Magnus would never need a _Lumos_ again, he joined their mouths in the middle of the Great Hall, where everyone could see them, and he kissed his boyfriend with pride, letting his lips and his hands tell the story of his love for Magnus - someone whooped, probably Jace again, but neither of the boys broke their kiss to pay attention to him. The secret might be out, they might be surrounded by people, but the core of their relation hadn't changed: it was just them, lost in each other's essence.

When their kiss came to an end, it was on their own terms, slow and satisfied. Alec watched his boyfriend keep his eyes closed for a few more blissful seconds, until he huddled up closer to him. As he wrapped his left arm around Magnus and kissed his forehead, a glint caught his attention and he glanced at the staff table. It was fleeting and he wasn't sure but...

Alec could have sworn Dumbledore raised his cup and winked at him.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this until the end! Feedback is much appreciated so feel free to comment or tell me what you thought about it on my Twitter @evilkeshi :)


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